I Lost Myself in Republic City
by Mojomakava
Summary: Follow the story of four, fate tied benders as they find their place in the world, and Republic City. What does life have in store for them? Or better yet, just what do the Equalists want with them? OC x OC
1. Chapter One: The Taste of Tangerine

Heya!

Welcome to chapter one of this oh so (spectacular?) Legend of Korra Fanfic! Join me on the journey of Jetta, Kili, and Ume, Ru Li, and their merry band of friends as they face adversity in the face of danger, kick some Equalist buttock, and throw Republic City into general chaos. Who knows, maybe something interesting will happen along the way? This chapter is mostly going to be introductions of the main characters (Jetta, Kili. . .you get the idea), of which Ru Li is my personal OC, so all of her opinions will be in first person. All changes of view will be marked by the name of the involved character at the head of the section. Stay tuned for further updates! Summer is just around the corner, so expect rather frequent uploads of new chapters. Comment and review and such, anything is welcomed! (Disclaimer: I do not own LOK, just my characters and the other OC's associated with this Fan Fiction.)

_. . .  
_

_Jetta_

_. . .  
_

Jetta could swear she could taste the tangerine sun that beat down on her from in between the lush greens of the trees. Water rushed through the causeways that lined the park, gurgling, children daring each other to touch the clear blue crystalline pools. Families and young couples all made their daily forays into pristine Republic City Park. She looked at them, passing by her, wondering; bender, non- bender, water, earth, fire? It was easy to mistake everyone for anyone in the big city, she had learned. One minute you'd be thinking you were giving a sweet, young girl directions to the closest noodle shop, the next she'd swipe your satchel and swindle money from your coin purse. Of course, she had no idea that was what city life would be, and really. . . It didn't live up to her expectations.

"_Yeah, some big illusions of grandeur I had,"_Jetta thought.

She shook her head, smirking, and laughing at herself. She had walked into the city without a single chip on her shoulder, not a doubt in her mind that she could make something of herself; but now, things were more complicated. No income, no where to stay, spending her days at the stupid park looking at happy families and couples that hadn't a care in the world. Now, she wasn't starving, and she wasn't completely homeless, but Jetta was tired of constantly shifting from hotel to inn, half the time treating herself to a feast, half the time skipping out on the rent and sneaking out the back before day broke. She wasn't a criminal, not at all, she was simply someone down on their luck, doing anything to pursue her dreams.

_Guuuuuuuuuurghjphrumphphph-_

". . .And also down on her breakfast."

Standing up with a long drawn sigh, she arched her slender back, working out the cricks and stretching out her sinewy muscles. Her cream colored tunic slipped up past her minutely tanned stomach, not yet bronzed by the new summer sun. Realizing that it would be just another one of 'those days' she frowned. So she didn't have even the slightest chance of being a successful Pro- Bender, whatever. It turned out that she was a great earthbender, but lacked all necessary skill to compete with it. But despite everything, she was ashamed that she hadn't made anything of herself. . .maybe she should just go back to her sleepy Earth Bender town and take her father up on his offer of giving her the old noodle shop. After all, it wasn't like she was going places here. Picking up her satchel, Jetta wondered if she really should just give up trying to be a city girl. . .

When she suddenly smelled the most divine scent to ever grace her presence.

And not only that, but it was close by, making her stomach roar like an armadillo lion.

Wheeling around from under the cover of her tree, Jetta stepped out onto the white path, now surrounded by various park- goers, attempting to hunt down the source of the smell, trying not to get drool all over everything. She looked down the cobblestones that lead to the labor district, seeing nothing promising, then turned her attention to the direction of the residential quarter, picking back up on the delicious smell.

"Maybe some nice old lady is carrying something back home, then? Funny that it wouldn't be someone heading to the factories. People cut through here all the time to eat their lunch before heading back to work."

She wove through the crowd, sniffing around and observing everyone, plus the contents of their hands, finding. . .absolutely nothing. At all. Nada. No-

"Ugh. If only I had a dumpling for every sap happy couple that I saw in this place, then I could be happy. Scratch that, I would get ridiculously fat."

Bowing her head in defeat, she closed her eyes, swaying from side to side in the wallowing in her own misery, suddenly hearing a set of soft footsteps approach from in front of her. Curious, she looked up, peeking through one barely cracked eye, and gazed into the jade eyes of a nearly barefoot girl.

Who was also holding a bag of dumplings.

Jetta's eyes flew open, and she flailed in delight and surprise, almost knocking over an older gentleman, making the other young girl stare at her with an extremely confused expression.

_"VICTORY! Ok, Ok, play it cool Jetta, you got this. Don't beg for a free meal, just ask for one, right? Don't look needy. You aren't a desperate hobo living in a bush. . . But you were just living under a tree. . . NO STOP THAT. Get yourself together, girl! You got this. No going back!"_

So then, Jetta, sank down onto her knees, shuffling toward the girl, then clinging to her leg, sniffling, and motioning to her to bring her head down closer to her own. The girl, obviously thinking that Jetta should be in an institution, reluctantly lowered her head down to her level.

"Uh, I'm not quite sure how to express this," sniffled Jetta " but, well, you see. . ."

"I WILL LITERALLY LOVE YOU FOR THE REST OF MY EXISTENCE IF YOU JUST LET ME HAVE A DUMPLING, I BEG OF YOU."

". . ."

"Oh, well, uh. . .maybe just a little corner bite, then?"

". . ."

". . . Can I at least lick one?"

The strange girl broke out into a peal of laughter, not seeming to have control of the fit, leaving Jetta kneeling on the ground away from her, wearing the most embarrassed expression that had ever been had within the confines of Republic City. Wiping her eyes and attempting to cease the giggling, the girl finally spoke to Jetta.

"Well, I guess you can lick one if you want, but your not gonna get much out of that. I was really just going to give you one, cause I've been watching you follow me for the past few minutes."

Jetta stay on the ground, stunned.

". . . You were?" She said.

"Normally I don't just throw food at strangers at any given day, but these are actually promotional! I'm giving them out to bring some good business to the noodle shop I just opened. It's actually just down past the park in the residential quarter, I'm going there now. Name's Kili by the way, earthbender, pragmatic individual, lover of the art of cuisine. . . Oh, and you should probably get up, yeah?"

"UUUUH," Jetta clamored "YEAH! That sound, uh, great."

Kili extended her open hand, Jetta latching on and letting her hoist her to her feet. The two girls stared at each other, smiling awkwardly, waiting for the other to say something. After a stagnant pause filled with idle shuffling and clearing of throats, Kili motioned to Jetta, telling her that she should come back with her to the shop, offering her a full course meal, on the house. Jetta just couldn't refuse. The two earthbenders then started to make their way to their destination, making small chat, unaware of the close bond they had already begun to form. . . unaware of the dark shadow moving behind the trees, silently observing their every move and word.

"Soon," it whispered, "Soon, you all will die. And I will smile."

With a rustle of leaves, it was gone.

_. . .  
_

_Ru Li_

_. . .  
_

My knees ached, and my arms were shaking. Kneeling there under the damned summer heat, I had no words to describe my anger, my anguish. Kneeling there over my father's grave, words weren't able to form on my lips. Anything, anything would have been better than the paralyzing silence that I had, for whatever reason, subjected myself to. I couldn't even shed a tear. It wasn't spite, no, but an unaltered, seething hate, one for a man that I didn't even know.

_Amon._

The godless creature that had killed my father, pushing his helpless body into a merciless crowd of Equalists, letting them play judge, jury, executioner for some earthbender they didn't even know. He could have just taken his bending away, using him as an example, but no. No. It wasn't enough for that worm, he had to make my father into a martyr. And what's worse. . . I had been there. I had seen him cast into the lot of people, them clawing and tearing at him, trying to draw some blood from him, seeking some unnamed and impersonal _vengeance _for reasons that even they had never thought of. Ones that I couldn't think of. I wondered, what could drive someone into that kind of madness? Better yet, who? Well, I had my answer, clear as day, hiding behind his painted mask, the coward. I could that mask, unmoving, yet warping into a callous smile as the light drained from my father's eyes. Narrowing my eyes at the thought, I stood up then, my rage simply overtaking me. I had been there long enough, anyway, and my father wasn't coming back. Nothing held me there any longer. Even though I didn't like it, I knew that my tether had been tied to a different place now, not my quaint little earthbender hometown, what little family I had left. . . my fate rested with Amon. . .the Equalists. Reaching into my pocket, I revealed the worn flyer that had nested there since that fateful night, turning it in my hands, reading the bold red words on the front. I shuddered, not in fear, but in anticipation. I would let the Equalists know the pain they had caused me tenfold. Mercy, would not be an option I had with them. Taking a final look at the grave, I laid a single flower upon the freshly turned dirt, praying that in whatever life he was in now, peace would follow him there. I turned around then, and grabbed my belongings I had brought, hoisting them onto the ostrich- horse I had borrowed earlier that day. Climbing onto its back, I didn't look behind me again. I only had eyes for my destination; the place where I knew I could find vengeance.

My fate. . . rested within the walls of Republic City.

_. . .  
_

_Kili_

_. . .  
_

Kili looked around the lofty space above the noodle shop that acted as her residency. . . and at the sleeping girl, sprawled across the second extra futon, barely covered by the blanket, snoring quietly. Shaking her head, and thinking about just how she had ended up in the situation, Kili smiled.

"_Well, you were the one to bring up the fact that you had an extra futon in the first place._" She thought.

Walking over to the sink and setting the last of the dishes into the frothy, sudsy mixture that filled it, Kili began her nightly routine to close up 'shop.' She walked to the windows, laying the heavy drapes over the steel and rock reinforced wide panes, blew out the candle flames dancing in the moonlight, and threw the bolt over the sturdy rock door that lead to the staircase, the only exit in the room. Kili had designed it that way, in all actuality. She would have included a 'fire escape' like so many other Republic City citizens were doing, but having one entry and exit point better suited her in case of. . .

"_In case an Equalist or some of those Chi- Blockers tries to pay me a little visit._"

It was a likely possibility, seeing as she was a member of the anti- Equalist group, L.E.A.F.

"Yep, I'm really livin' on the edge, aren't I?" She mumbled to herself, crawling into the mass of white sheets that was her bed, exhausted from the days events, "Founder, worker, and chairman of the Localized Equalist Attack Force."

Kili rubbed her hands over her face, pausing to sigh.

"_Yeah, how's that working out for you, eh Kili?_"

She pulled the blankets up and over her face, burrowing down into the swath of warmth and comfort it provided. Turning over to lay on her side, she looked out through the sliver of window that the drapes didn't cover, barely catching sight of the pale moon that drowned in the clear black night. Kili had started the force a month prior, motivated to do something against the Equalists after they had completely destroyed her mobile noodle cart at the Pro- Bending Championship between the Fire Ferrets and the Wolf Bats. Not that she really cared for that kind of thing, even if she was an earthbender herself. After that night, something had really caught hold of her though, and she now lived with a certain tugging feeling, and she couldn't figure it out. She had thought that if she maybe kicked some Equalist butt, it would have helped ease that displeasure, but all it had done was confuse her. Moving into her own place, starting a business, L.E.A.F. . . it was all supposed to give her direction, but it just wasn't. . . complete. She still had an empty feeling, almost as if there was a hole in her body, waiting to be filled with whatever. Kili looked over at Jetta who still hadn't moved from where she collapsed earlier.

"_Or, maybe, I'm looking for a 'whom.'"_

After all, she had been recently thinking of getting a roommate or two, ones that could fill the three extra beds the loft had, maybe even joining L.E.A.F with her. Maybe, she thought. Kili yawned.

"_Maybe I'll just ask her tomorrow. Maybe."_

Turning back toward the wall, Kili dozed off, thinking that maybe a friend or two was just what she needed.

_. . .  
_

_Ume_

_. . .  
_

"HEY! What's the big idea, now?" Ume shouted at the young, smirking boy, who quite frankly smelled like he had bathed once in the past month. Without answering her, he simply turned on his heel, running behind the statue of Firelord Zuko, vanishing into one of the dark alleyways behind.

"_Stupid Skoochy_," Ume growled.

She shouldn't have looked away for those few seconds; that was all that Skoochy had needed to rob her blind. Picking up what remained of her cash, only thirteen Yuans, Ume groaned, wishing she hadn't blown all of her money playing Pai Sho earlier that week. It had turned out that her opponent had been cheating anyway, so she had gambled away the last of her savings for nothing. Ume knew that she probably should have been more cautious, but she just couldn't resist a good game when one was right in front of her. She had walked into the square, hoping that the street rat would have some odd sort of job for her to perform so she could get some cash to rent out a place for a few days. A sixteen year old girl really shouldn't be running around on the streets in Republic City, after all.

"Speaking of which. . .it's getting dark."

Ume hopped off the curb and sprinted to the other side of the street, briskly walking past the large municipal building in front of her. Barely anyone was out now, everyone trying to get home before dark. The night had a different sort of feel in the city, now that the Equalists had thrown everything into chaos since the Pro- Bending Tournament earlier that month. Ume really didn't see why everyone was freaking out over one group. . .yes, they had destroyed the arena and probably done some major bodily harm to a few jerk- benders, but the anti- Equalist movement was starting to retaliate too. They had killed their fair share of revolutionaries. She shook her head. Ume really and utterly detested senseless, and even condoned, violence. She was a thinker, always believing that if there was a peaceful action, it could speak louder than a harsh voice or a furious blow. That was how she was raised, and she felt that no-

**THUNK.**

"!"

Ume screamed, looking down at her bruised leg, having tripped over a dip in the walkway and landing awkwardly on a metal pole. Hopping on one leg in pain, Ume flared up, practically blowing steam out of her ears, thrusting her hands out and ripping up the metal pole from the ground, throwing it up into the air and over the top of the nearest building with a clamor. Well. . . some violence was all right. Still gingerly patting the newly bruised skin, she had failed to notice exactly where the metal pipe she threw had gone. As it turned out, it had conveniently flown in the direction of a shop, crashing into the place, shattering decorative pottery that had lined the kiosk. A tall girl ran out of the place, fists clenched and heading in the direction of Ume. Finally looking up, she yelped, and ran away as quickly as possible, hoping that the girl hadn't gotten too good of a look at her face. Ume didn't have any money to pay for damages, and she certainly didn't want to have to deal with getting in trouble with Lin Bei Fong, police chief. Heading down the nearest alleyway, she continued to run for what seemed like miles, and eventually collapsed next to one of the tall residential sky scrapers that were clustered in the heart of the city. Catching her breath, and not knowing what to do, Ume moved out of the yellow tinged glow of the street lamps and into the darkness behind them, making a rock fort to sleep in for the night, hoping that the next day would bring better things.

. . .

So, there you have it, folks, the first chapter of the fic! Be sure to comment with anything you wish to add, and I'll certainly read it and put it to good use. Sorry if this chapter was a bit strange to follow since it had four separate stories, but I felt that I needed to introduce the characters in one go. I know that some were longer, some shorter, but the important thing was to lay out how they all would either come to R.C, or what they'd been doing in it.

Till next time, Mojo- out!


	2. Chapter Two: Whispers Louder than Words

_Last time in ILMiRC:_

_Ume, Jetta, and Kili, three seemingly down on their luck earthbenders all find themselves in Republic City, searching for some missing part of themselves and their lives. Through what seems to be fate's intervention, Jetta and Kili meet up in an oh- so- strange exchange of dumplings, starting what we think is a firm friendship. Ume, on the other hand, just has a worse and worse week, metalbending a steel pole into an unsuspecting girl's noodle shop, running away before she was caught. And then there's Ru Li, our resident fourth wheel, who seems to be heading in the same direction, straight to the heart of Republic City. Will the four girls find what they are looking for? Will Ume break her Pai Sho addiction? COULD THE FORESHADOWING WITH FOUR BEDS IN KILI'S LOFT GET ANY MORE OBVIOUS? Tune in to this episode to find out!_

_. . .  
_

_Ume_

_. . .  
_

Rumbling. Steady and low, like animal footsteps, yet not heavy enough to be anything but human, coming ever closer to the small, makeshift fort that concealed a young earthbender for the night. It didn't stop, but grew in rhythm, its pace quickening as the distance closed. The girl inside continued to sleep soundly, even as the pattering surrounded the rock figure. And then suddenly, silence. . .

**CRRRRRRAACKKKKK-**

The walls of the fort crumbled in, broken to bits by the muscled hands of men cloaked in black. Ume awoke, stumbling back, stunned by the unexpected noise, futilely attempting to ward off her assailants under the still intoxicating lull of sleep. Looking around her, she gazed into the sickly green eyes of what her drowsy mind saw as monsters. Frightened, she screamed, and began to run out from the still dark alley, not yet touched by the first glowing rays of the new morning sun.

She threw her hands out to her sides, taking the rock from the ground and trying to close off the advance of the shadows trailing her, but to no avail. They simply catapulted themselves over every obstacle she threw at them, moving quick, fast, and light. Even faster than the Metalbending Police Force, and she definitely knew how much of a light step they had.

"Agh!"

Ume barely dodged a bright flash of blue light that had suddenly flew out of the darkness from in front of her. Suddenly unbalanced, she tripped hard onto the ground, tumbling head over heels, eventually coming down awkwardly onto her left ankle.

That was the only mistake that her assailants needed.

With an almost savage like flourish, the men were on top of the screaming girl, hitting her in rapid succession, arms, back, chest, legs, cutting off her bending. Completely out of breath, and her muscles on fire, Ume didn't resist, and couldn't find the strength even to scream. Her limbs going rigid, only her eyes darted back and forth, staring into the pale green eyes of the men around her. One pulled out his kali stick, barely touching her, yet electrifying every cell in her body. A perpetual pain emanated through her being. They dropped her onto the ground then, all retaining their circle around her, almost like they were waiting for someone. Ume laid there, a single tear rolling down her bruised cheek, just hoping that they would get it over with. She was certain she was going to die.

_Swish!_

Two of the men in front of her parted then.

Suddenly, another black figure appeared on the rooftop in front of her. It stayed there for a moment, hunched over, then flung itself over the edge, landing in front of her in a catlike posture. This one was different, she could tell. Instead of the standard moss green and red uniform, he was a pure black shadow, cloaked in material that could have further darkened the blackest of nights. He had no mask or goggles, and his hair was swaying in the cool breeze of the morning. Coming into the small slip of light that donned the narrow alley, he sauntered forward, revealing his tanned face. Ume's eyes opened in shock, sweat dripping in translucent beads down her face and neck.

He smiled, teeth reflecting the light in a sinister white, and then suddenly, she could see nothing.

_. . .  
_

_Kili + Jetta_

_. . .  
_

"Oh man, I can't even begin to tell you how great this is Kili!" Jetta exclaimed.

She laughed, rolling her eyes, having heard this phrase from Jetta at least fifty times now. After the previous night, she had decided to ask Jetta if she would like to stay in the loft with her, maybe working part time at the shop instead of giving her rent. Jetta's eyes had gotten larger than the biggest bowl of soup she had to offer, and the girl had begun to squeal, throwing her arms around Kili, hopping up and down in excitement. It had taken a good ten minutes just to stop Jetta from screaming 'thank you' in her ear, and then another ten to pry her off of her, after which she continued to hobble back and forth on her feet, probably perpetually killing her facial muscles with the smile she was wearing. The amount of gratitude could kill someone.

"I mean, one minute I'm on the street, the next I've got an awesome place to stay, and a roommate to boot!"

She slurped up some more noodles from the bowl that she'd been working on for the past thirty minutes.

"Plus, you know; the service is to die for."

"You do know that you're not going to get off totally free, right?" Kili asked.

Jetta raised the ceramic bowl to her face, downing the last of her lunch. She made a gratifying noise, burped, and then wiped her face with her sleeve.

Kili gave her a fairly steely glance, furrowing up her lip and staring her down.

". . .Please, continue to bellow in the manner of a foul cretin. . ."

Jetta shifted back, surprised that such a mild tempered girl could have the glare of an eagle- hawk. Donning a rather indecisive expression, she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, uh. . . I get that. . . will you quit that look, though. . . Kili. . .Kili, I'm serious. . .Kili. . .KIIILIIIIIIII-"

"BOO!"

"GAAAAAAGH!"

Jetta flew backwards and out of her chair, hitting the ground with a satisfactory thud. Kili broke out into a fit of laughter, clutching her sides, attempting to breathe, but with little avail. Soon, she too collapsed onto the ground, and both the girls couldn't help themselves.

"You're way too impressionable, Jetta, you know that?"

Jetta wiped her eyes, stemming the flow of tears that were gushing out from under her palms.

"You're way too ridiculous, Kili, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You do realize that was the second time in two days that you've had an uncontrollable fit of laughter?"

"I'm a comedian, do not judge me."

"Oh, I'll judge."

"All right then. . . I am a four- hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

". . ."

". . .That was historical humor."

"Not a clue."

_Shccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhh-_

Both Kili and Jetta slowly raised themselves off the floor, looking around the room for the source of the strange noise.

"What the heck was that?" said Kili as she moved to the window, looking out onto the street below.

"I have no idea, but wha-"

**Good evening, citizens of Republic City.**

A cold chill filled the room. The girls turned to the radio that had been sitting silently on the kitchen counter just moments before. A shiver rippled through both of their spines, knowing that nothing good could come from the static noise of the small box. Kili ran to it, turning the volume knob to maximum, then setting it back onto its former resting place.

**I, Amon, come to you tonight to bring most important news of the glorious rebellion. Let us skip all the formalities, shall we?**

The two girls sat down onto the couch, shaking.

**Just this morning, my most trusted team of Chi- Blockers found something most interesting down by the disgusting 'monument' to the oppressor, Firelord Zuko.. A young girl, no older than sixteen, that had been playing Pai Sho there the previous day. Harmless? No. Let me rephrase my earlier statement; an insolent earthbending girl had been at the monument stealing money from unsuspecting, non bending citizens, and using her skills to rob them blind. When they would refuse to give her their money, she secured them to the ground with her bending and simply took what wasn't hers. This girl. This 'scum' of the world is why we Equalists exist. To stop benders from abusing those who were not born with the 'gift.' To stop ordinary people from experiencing the injustice they so frequently take. . . So we took this earthbender, and tonight. . . Well, Republic City. . . What do **_**you **_**think we should do to her?**

Click.

The radio shut off.

Silence.

Neither girl could speak. They had heard of people being taken by the Chi- Blockers before, but. . .something just felt _wrong._ After a few beats, Kili stood. Jetta looked at her.

"What do you think they'll do to that poor kid?"

Having still been walking toward the only other door in the room besides the entrance, Kili stopped and turned, eyes radiating a sort of aloof anger.

"I don't intend to let anyone find out."

She bounded off once again in the direction of the door, she put both hands on it, clenching her hands, then turning. Bending the door, she opened it, sliding it into the wall. Inside, it was dark. Kili walked into the blackness, leaving Jetta staring toward it, unaware of what was within. But not for long. Flipping a switch on the wall, bright yellow light flooded the small room, revealing the long, square table within, along with the various charts and equipment lining the wall. Jetta stood, stunned, not expecting what she saw.

"Uh, Kili. . . what's with the mysterious, secretive back room?"

Kili talked back from within.

"This," she said, "is what I do for my _other_ job."

"And. . . what exactly is that?"

Stepping out from the room, Kili joined her again in the main room, having donned a pair of dark green pauldrons, along with both arm and knee bracers. A thicker robe accompanied the additions, reaching almost past her knees. She had suddenly gone from being a simple shop owner, to looking like she was about to engage in epic combat. Slipping on a pair of black gloves that had been pulled from her side pocket, Kili answered her.

"I don't just own a noodle shop."

Jetta's eyebrow twitched.

"Well, I don't think that was in question at the moment."

"You don't understand. Not only do I own a noodle shop, I run my own anti- Equalist organization."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. You have a team of Equalist fighting earthbenders all wearing kick butt outfits and doing the deeds they do for the common good?"

A pause.

"Actually. . .it's more like I have a very small squadron of one that just so happens to be able to inadvertently throw pebbles in the general direction of Equalists, and does so because she dearly misses her mobile noodle cart."

She disappeared back into the room, this time Jetta hot on her trail.

"So, you have this whole room. . .just for one person. Hold on, are you going after that girl Amon mentioned.?"

". . ."

"Kili, no, that's crazy. A suicide mission! Even if you were able to FIND them, you just said that you were no magnificent earthbender!

"I don't have to be; I can't just sit here and do nothing. . .I'll be back. Just don't let someone burn down the shop while I'm gone."

She sighed, tying the last string on her gloves and picking up a brown leather bag, readying herself to move out. Stepping past the still stunned Jetta, she made her way to the front door, opening it. Before she could leave, though, a confident voice called out to her, making her stop in her tracks.

"In that case, you now have a relatively small squadron of two."

Jetta stood up, running over to the door and pushing Kili out of it before she could do anything to protest.

"WHAT? No, Jetta I didn't ask you to do this with me."

She stopped, looking down at Kili from higher on the staircase, looking at her with a gleam in her eyes.

"You never would have had to."

The two girls, understanding the situation, both smirked, resuming their bounding steps down the staircase and out of the front door. Who could argue with a statement like that? The day was cool, and though the sun just barely broke through the wall of white, puffy clouds above their heads, they sweated in anticipation. Pausing only now and then to ask a question or two to passer- bys, they steadily made their way toward Firelord Zuko Memorial Square. Once there, they began asking everyone they could if they had seen anything suspicious earlier that morning, finding the most interesting amount of information.

"NOTHING. Absolutely nothing at all!"

Jetta growled in frustration, kicking a small rock into the street in front of her. The two had been at it for hours; so long that the only sun left was no bigger than a squinting eye. No one they asked had seen anything unusual the day before, and barely anyone claimed that they even knew what a Chi- Blocker was. Countless people had walked past the statue, but still, no avail. Now there were only the two girls.

"You would think that at least someone would have seen something, right? I mean, who doesn't notice a young girl being attacked by a notorious criminal organization in the middle of a public square?"

Kili shook her head.

"It doesn't make any sense, I know. Maybe it was just so early that no one was out at all, eh?"

"Mm."

"Let's go back, Jetta. We can start again tomorrow. . ."

"Yeah. . . I guess."

With solemn faces, the two gathered their things from the base of the statue, slowly moving out, admitting defeat for the day.

Jetta looked over at Kili, throwing her a look of desperation. She stopped walking, taking one look back at the statue.

"What is it, Kili?"

She clenched her fist.

"Don't you just hope that she's okay? I mean, I don't know her or anything, but she's just like you and me. Practically the same age. I think it's horrible what these Equalists assume they have the right to get away with. They just kidnapped a child."

"Of course."

Jetta clasped her hand onto Kili's shoulder.

"I bet that girl was a fighter, or Amon wouldn't have bothered to keep her alive. I bet she went down, taking a couple of Chi- Blockers with her."

"_Actually. . ."_

Jetta gasped, hearing a voice behind her. The girls wheeled around, suddenly looking into the smirking, tanned face of a man cloaked in black, darker than night.

"She cried herself into submission. Poor little thing tripped onto her tear streaked face, crushing her ankle in the middle of trying to earthbend. It was quite beautiful, actually."

"Who the hell do you think you are, and what kind of soulle—umph!"

The boy struck Jetta in the stomach, causing her to instantly black out from the pain. Kili's eyes opened wide. She realized just who this man was.

"Soulless?" He remarked.

"If I didn't have a soul, I'd have no emotions. . ." he smiled, rushing at Kili, too quickly, grabbing both of Kili's arms and twisting them around her, bringing her to her knees and crying out in pain. He leaned down, then, putting his lips close to her ear, hair itching the nape of her neck. Laughing once, a dark, disturbing sound, he spoke in a hushed tone, ". . . and I wouldn't have had nearly that much fun."

. . .

PHEW! Chapter Two, down for the count. Really like how I'm setting this whole story up. I apologize if any of you were really wanting more info on Ru Li, I just felt really in tune with Kili and Jetta's story today!

On a side note: no, the tanned, mysterious gentleman will not have any romantic relationship with Kili. He's just being a butt turd.

That ship will be reserved for another one of the main characters.

MUAHAHA!

Mojo- out!


	3. Chapter Three: The Opportune Moment

_Last time in ILMiRC:_

_Our two earthbenders find themselves in a sour pickle as they come toe to toe with a mysterious boy in black. With Jetta out for the count, and Kili being impinged upon, how will the two manage to get themselves out of this sticky situation. _

_Meanwhile, Ume faces sure peril as Amon announces what seems to be her demise over the Republic City airwaves. Will anyone come to her rescue? Will she be saved in time? And just what does Amon have in store for her?_

_And finally, we have Ru Li. Where has she gone to now; will we get more information about this feisty girl? Will she get her revenge, or just a bittersweet replacement for the pain that she feels?_

_Tune in to this chapter of "I lost Myself in Republic City" to find out!_

. . .

_Somewhere in Republic City_

. . .

Night bled out into the city like an ink stain, reaching into every corner and crevice of the metropolis, from the skyscrapers to the alleyways. Like a plague, it seeped into the hearts of unsuspecting citizens, chilling them to the core. As of late, the people of Republic City had taken to their fear of the dark, barely anyone removing themselves from their homes in time to see the last russet rays of the sun sink down past the skyline. But for those that did, there was a distinct change. They didn't just feel the typical apprehensions; thugs, murderers, thieves. No. People were afraid of a whole new evil. A criminal could take away your possessions, homes, money. . .but now a part of your physical being was being targeted. Bending. One could get another yuan, but one could not get back their bending once it was gone.

And that was the fear that fed him.

The fear that drove him to do what he did; what made him enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Why he had joined Amon.

Wearing nothing but a black pair of pants, he looked out into the sleeping city, past countless windows, houses, buildings, wondering if anyone knew that he was watching; wondering if anyone knew him as anything but a shadow. He smirked, throwing his hands behind his head, furrowing his eyebrows. Of course not. He wasn't anything but the monster that children told their parents about at night. He was the shadow that you noticed out of the corner of your eye. Fear was a part of him, and essentially, he had become a part of fear.

"Sir, they're ready." Said a Chi- Blocker, coming out to him on the balcony of the house.

Completely ignoring the man's remark, he sighed.

"Do you ever think about the people in this city? I mean, really think about them. Take away everyone's bending and we all become the same breed of everyday folk, save for your murderers and petty criminals. Everybody that we've targeted has been the same as you; they all have family, friends. . . a home." He moved away from the balcony, stepping back into his room, slipping on another dark tunic from his gloomy collection. Tugging on the rest of his garments- gloves, shoes, light armor- a throat was cleared by the window.

"Ehem—I said. . . they are ready for you, sir."

"I heard you the first time lieutenant. . ." he paused. "Aren't you one for idle chat in the morning? Personally, I find that it works better than any tea or remedy. Although I could really go for a good cup of jas-"

"SIR."

A flash of light.

The faint sickly sweet smell of blood began to intermingle with the heavy incense that had filled the room, creating a nauseating combination. A single, thin line of red dripped down the exposed neck of a quivering man. Pale and not having seen the sun in a long while, the contrast was almost poetic; white flesh against ruby. Final shakes disturbed the still air around the lieutenant, turbulent to only those who looked for it. Slowly the body came to floor, slumping into a dead mass of cloth and man. Legs, torso, arms. . . then the eyes, the light wrenched out of them in a swift flick of a toned wrist; one that was meant for killing. Dropping the body, he flicked the small and few droplets off of the fingertips that had so delicately brushed the nape of the Chi- blocker's neck. He pushed himself forward over the shape, pupils dilated into black moons. Grabbing his jacked on the way out of the room, he nonchalantly shut off the light and closed the door behind him. Walking down the lavish hallway, he moved his eyes back over his shoulder.

"I heard you the first time."

. . .

Ru Li

. . .

Sweat fell in salty, sticky beads down my brow as I let my ostrich horse drink from the small stream. It was the beginning of summer, and I knew the heat would be ridiculous this season. The rays of the sun easily burst through the little shade that the petty, shriveled trees offered. Dotting the lonely road, the only foliage was suffering harshly from the intense draught that the Earth Kingdom was experiencing this year. Normally, water benders would have been called in to the country side to redirect some water here, irrigating the parched land. But these obviously weren't normal times with the Equalists and all. They had opposed any water benders that had come to help this season, turning them away with a harsh word. Instead, they had taken it upon themselves to work out the problem, hiring cheap labor to try and dig their way to the various lakes that dotted the region. It didn't work out, obviously.

_It would have been ten times more convenient for everyone if they had just let the water benders do their thing here._

I looked up at the hot sun, shielding my eyes from the intensity.

_What does a girl have to do to get some shade here?_

Flicking a bit of perspiration off my face, I cracked my knuckles, walking a bit away from the water, getting ready to create a bit of natural shade. I rolled my neck, then my arms, and took up a very simple earth bending stance, one taught within the first few lessons at the earth bender academy. Yes, I go to earth bending school. . . Well, I did. My father, the great 'Rock Sho' was a great earth bender who had won the regional pro- bending championship for seven years. Naturally, when he had me, he expected me to be cut from the same cloth, and become a successful earth bender like him.

Not so much.

See, its kind of funny, actually, because even though I went to the world's most prestigious earth bending academy, even though my dad was a world famous bender, even though all I've known for the past ten years is stances and forms and breathing and exercises. . .

_Never mind all that, just do what you know you can, Ru!_

I shook the nonsense out of my mind. Steadying my feet, I bent my knees and curled my hands into formation. Taking a deep breath, finding my center, I brought my right hand back slowly, and then. . .

**Pfff.**

Nothing.

Nada.

The wind rustled, and that was _pretty much it._

The funny thing? I've never once been able to earth bend.

I sighed, and fell back onto my rear, silently cursing the gods that had decided to withhold the gift of pebble moving from my generation. No matter how many times, or how hard I'd tried, I've never once been able to. My father was convinced, though, that I was a bender, and I never really knew why.

The ostrich horse bounded over to me, done with its stop. Satisfied, it crouched down, nestling my cheek with its beak. I got up, not wishing to be slobbered on, and patted it on its side.

"The day I bend is the day that Amon is bested by a team of giddy teenage girls."

It cocked its head, looking at me almost quizzically with its brown eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

I stretched one final time, then climbed onto its back, directing him back onto the dirt road. We hadn't passed anyone all day, so I took the liberty of taking out my coin purse, counting how many yuan I had left for my journey; I had more than what I expected. When I first bought the ostrich horse, I had spent all the money I had on him, knowing that having a riding animal could sometimes be more important than anything else in the hot summer months. I had expected that I'd need to swipe a cabbage or two along the way to feed myself, but I had found something better. On the animals collar had been a gold plated nametag, which I had discreetly removed and sold in a nearby town. After all, I had renamed him anyway; his original name was pretty strange. I furrowed my eyebrows and leaned down to speak to the animal.

"What kind of name is 'Foo Foo Cuddlypoops' anyway?"

A blank stare.

"Also, why do I keep talking to you?"

**PHURRRMPH.**

"Don't you give me that lip!" I said, flicking him softly on his side. His ears moved back pointedly. "That's what I thought."

_Geez, I need to quit talking to this thing. _

I blew a few strands of loose hair out of my face.

_Is the sun really getting to me that much? Maybe I should think about getting a straw hat in the next town, don't want to g—_

**OOMPTH!**

"Hey! You watch your step!"

Coming around the bend, I hadn't noticed that there was anyone in front of me. Suddenly, there was a whole caravan of people along the road. Steadying the ostrich- horse after the unexpected bump, I looked at the faces of at least ten people, all looking nervous. They all held themselves like they had something to hide.

"Did you hear me?"

"Eh?"

I finally spoke to the angry voice in front of me. A small, fat man had been walking along the road, and I had unintentionally ran into him as he headed up the back of the train of travelers. He wore common clothing, tans, browns, creams. Not anything indicating any loyalties to the nations. It was almost. . . too normal? I spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you coming around the bend. I wasn't expecting to run into anyone else, especially along this road, it being pretty out of the way and all. Speaking of which, why is there this big of a group all the way out here?" I motioned to the long caravan. The chubby man suddenly lost all of his defensive nature, suddenly hunching in on himself, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Oh! Oh, well, ehem. No reason! None at all! We are just, uhm. . . shoe. . . salesmen. . ."

. . .

He laughed nervously, and I raised up my eyebrows, giving him a quick smirk.

"I'm not an earth official, nor am I a highway raider if that's what you're thinking."

He let out a quick breath, obviously assured by my words.

"Ah, well! In that case. I thought you were. . . were. . ."

"Were WHAT?"

He paused again, suddenly donning a serious look. His mood changes almost scared me. The look that he had now was strange, almost like he was about to attack me.

"I thought you were an earth bender that had come to stop the caravan, actually. See, we got wind that there was someone on our trail, and we've all been waiting for an attack, so you see, naturally were jumpy around strangers."

I looked back at the rest of the caravan. I hadn't noticed it before, but I saw it now: they were all carrying some sort of gauntlet, or glove on their arms. They emitted a strange glow, almost like an electric charge. All at once, I realized what they were. I began to shake. _Equalists._ Knowing it would be a bad idea to say anything to the heavily armed troupe, I decided to ignore their status, despite how sickening the thought of a group of their kind was to me.

"I see now; you are a group of Equalists, not wanting a bender to catch your band."

He tensed.

"You catch on pretty quickly for a lone, traveling girl from the earth kingdom."

Moving back the long sleeves on his tunic, he revealed the long knife that had been concealed the duration of the conversation. At the sight of the gleaming steel, the ostrich- horse moved nervously underneath me, the gleam of the metal startling him. I reighned him in, knowing that the situation was. . . probably not going to turn out very well in my favor.

_Let's see; twelve, shock glove wielding Equalists against a girl with her very own Foo Foo Cuddlypoops?. . . The odds are obviously not in my favor at the moment. Thank you, bending spirits, yet again!_

Knowing that I was going to have to do something, and fast, I let the first words I could think of fly out of my mouth.

"Of course I caught on. Actually, I'm headed to an Equalist rally in Republic City."

_I am an idiot._

His hand resting on the hilt of his knife, I held my breath waiting to see what he would do.

"You know about the rally, girl? That was a secret only passed through the official members of the Equalist movement; no normal kid could have known about it."

_Let me rephrase: I am a HUGE idiot. . . wait a second. . ._

I reached down into my pant pocket, bringing out the crumpled red flyer displaying the advertisement for the next Equalist rally in Republic City. I unfolded it and showed it to him, the time and place obvious for him to see.

"This is how I know."

Moving forward, he snatched it out of my hand.

_NO! That was my only chance of getting in to the rally!_

Glancing over the paper, he quickly read the advertisement and. . . laughed?

"HAHAHAHA! I see now; you come from one of the remote towns we go to! You've been recruited. That clears up a lot. Here I thought you were lying and wanting to kill us! Bahahaha!"

"Oh, uh. . . heh. . . heh."

I laughed along with him, not wanting to let on my true intentions.

_A recruit? Sure dumpling roll, let's go with that._

"Of course I am. Well, if that's settled, then I'll just be on my way to that rally now."

"Wait!"

He stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"That rally has been cancelled, did you not know that?"

"WHAT?" I cried out.

_I've come all this way. And for nothing? UGH! This was my chance!_

"What do you mean, cancelled?"

"I suppose that you haven't heard on account of you've been travelling some time by the look of it. Amon has cancelled the rally and instead decided to do something more. . . inspiring."

"Like. . .?"

"Like taking the life of a young earth bender that he caught stealing money from other non- bending folk. The little rat." He spat onto the dirt. "It's all happening in the same place, though, in front of the biggest crowd of Equalists yet. Apparently she had been unfairly playing them at Pai Sho, bending extra pieces under the table and such. Well, he figured that the street girl wouldn't be missed anyway, so he had his chi- blockers take her. He's going to take her right in front of the crowd and first, take her bending away. Then he's going to kill her for everyone to see."

My eyes flew open in shock.

"But I thought that Amon wasn't planning to resort to killing. Wouldn't it make more of an impression if he just left everyone helpless instead of dead?

The man sighed next to me.

"You would think so. But previous measures just weren't getting through to the masses. Amon wants to show his power. _All of it._ He wants to show Republic City that he holds complete power over them. Spiritually, mentally, physically."

". . . Well then," I said.

_I have to help her. I can't. . . I can't let Amon kill anyone else. This will not happen, I won't let it. No one else is going to be taken by that monster. __**Not while I can help it.**_

"Well then, indeed, young girl. You should hurry if you want to be a part of this step of the glorious revolution; the event is tonight, after all."

"Tonight?"

The man moved to my right, motioning forward with his hand, the knife once again hidden away within the cream colored confines of his simple tunic.

"I shall see you there, I hope. May the spirits smile upon you and grant you strength, power, and good fortune. May the future be bright for the world, as one day, we shall no longer be oppressed by the heathenish benders."

I straightened my eyes forward, kicking the side of the ostrich- horse, not responding to the man. I moved out in front of the caravan, glaring at all of the men and women with a sweetly surreptitious glance. I continued ahead, eventually rounding out the curve in the road. Around the last leg, the rock face suddenly made way to a wide valley, the ocean sparkling ahead of me. I looked out, seeing spiraling towers and white skyscrapers reaching up into the sky. Republic City. I had reached my goal. Restless, I kicked on my ride harder, urging him forward, faster, and with more urgency. I smiled.

_I hope I do see you all tonight. I really do._

. . .

As the girl with the ostrich- horse moved forward, the small, fattened man frowned. He was not stupid, and he knew exactly who the girl was. The daughter of the pro- bender that had been killed weeks ago, the Equalists had all known that she would come.

_After all, Amon is never wrong, and he knew she would want revenge._

Signaling to the front of the caravan with a whistle, the group started to move out again. He climbed into the back of the cart nearest to him, rustling about. Locating what he was looking for, he ripped off the canvas cover of a metal device. Taking up the speaker, he adjusted the various dials on the metal box until he reached the frequency that he wanted. Flipping a switch, he turned on the device, it flaring up with various squeaks and lights. He pushed a button in on the speaker, about to radio in a message to headquarters and smiled, his narrow lips scraping against the metal mesh.

"_She's coming."_

. . .

_At the Equalist Headquarters, Republic City_

. . .

He moved away from the large wall of machinery, exiting the room. Walking into a separate corridor, he reached a shiny metal door, a guard posted in front of it. Signaling to the chi- blocker, the sentry moved aside, allowing the man to enter the room. In the middle of the darkened place was a small stream of sunlight, a young girl laying in its glow. She lazily opened her eyes at the sight of the man, then scrambled back into the corner, trying in desperation to evade his presence. He laughed.

"You really going to keep doing that every time? I figured you would have learned by now."

He took a chair from the wall, and turned it opposite of her, laying his arms along the back of it.

"Do you know what tonight is?"

She didn't look at him. Staring at the wall, she hugged her legs in her arms, not saying a word nor making a sound.

"I want to ask you something. It's not personal or anything, but it's been killing me to ask you. . . You mind?"

Still no response from her. He sighed, leaning back from the chair.

"You obviously realize that you'll probably die tonight."

A soft whimper came from the girl.

". . .But what if I could help you with that?"

She looked at him, tearing her gaze from the bleak walls, utterly shocked. Her lips mumbled something unintelligible, and realizing he couldn't hear her, she cleared her throat, scraping the words past her chapped lips.

"Why would you do that? You're an Equalist, a Chi- Blocker. . . You hate me."

He laughed, and then got up from the chair. Leaving her there, he walked out of the room, exiting for a short moment. Coming back, he had two other girls with him, both dressed in distressed clothing. They looked leery, and seeing Ume, they came over to her, helping her to her feet. She looked at them, completely dumbstruck. One she didn't recognize, but the other. . .

"Wait, you're the girl whose pottery I broke! You own the noodle shop!"

"Yes, and you owe me 820 yuan in decorative expenses. But we can talk about that later," said Kili.

The man leaned himself against the wall, arms crossed.

"So, how confused are all of you?"

The girls got the chair and placed it in front of Ume, setting her down.

"Very." They all responded.

He smirked.

"I bet you're wondering why a Chi- Blocker is saving your life, what's your name? Ume?"

"Considering that you've kept me prisoner here for days without food or water, yes, I am wondering why _you_ are offering to save my life."

Ume gave him a long glance, narrowing her eyes at him. The girls did the same, looking at him quizzically.

"Better yet, I'm wondering why I'm here in the first place when you were just going to save me, apparently." Said Ume.

He shook his head, moving off of the wall, coming toward her. He crouched down, looking her in the eyes.

"I wasn't. When I brought you here. . ." he looked at Kili and Jetta. "When I brought all of you here, that was my intention. I hated each of you. I wanted you dead. I starved you, shut you in rooms of solid platinum, and let you all think about all the various ways that I could kill you. But I woke up this morning, and suddenly realized something."

He got up, turning his back to the girls. Looking out the small window on the door, he tapped twice on the glass, the guard leaving his post and disappearing out into the black corridor. His back still turned to them, he spoke again.

"You three can help me. And help. . ." he looked over his shoulder at them. "Is something that I just so happen to need."

Jetta spoke now, clearing her throat, and putting her hand onto Ume's shoulder.

"And what kind of help do you expect from us. We don't trust you. Not one bit."

"That's wise, I suppose." He said. ". . . Come with me."

He walked out of the room then, looking to make sure that the guard had left. Motioning to the girls, they all shuffled out of the tiny space after him, following him down the hall and into another room. Dark, they could see nothing. The man moved past them, disappearing into the blackness; he seemed to just melt into shadow, Jetta noticed. Suddenly a light flipped on, and in the center of the room there were. . . bodies.

Three young girls lay in the middle of the floor, drowning in a shallow pool of their own blood. The man moved around the pile, crossing his arms.

"These three were my personal pet project, something Amon just learned about today. These three have been deployed into various government factions and offices, scrambling information, and preventing the potential resistance that Republic City has."

The girls looked at the bodies, not even sure what to think of the man's words. Kili spoke first.

"So what does this have to do with us?"

"Tonight Amon was going to present these three as a crowning achievement of his regime. Infiltration of the government and all is sort of a big deal, don't you think? Anyway, he hasn't seen them; in fact, no one but I has."

Blank stares were shot at him as the girls still didn't know what was going on.

"You still don't get it, do you?" He sighed. "Let me give you the short story." He moved in front of them. "You three are going to pose as these three over here, tonight, in their place. I killed them, and no one else even knows that they are here. I will put their bodies in your cells in your places, and tell no one of what I've done. Don't worry: I have a reputation for unnecessarily killing prisoners anyhow. You girls are going to play their role tonight in front of the crowd of Equalists, gathered to see the 'great surprise' Amon has promised Republic City. You will brag about your accomplishments, what you've done; hell, just act ruthless and despicable."

Kili licked her lips, and asked him, "So you want us to act like your special 'project' tonight, instead of them? That's it?"

"That's pretty much it."

He put his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels.

"Oh, and one more thing. . . You're going to attack Amon tonight. _And kill him._"

Surprised expressions filled the girls' faces. They looked at each other, questioning the words and motives of their mysterious captor. . . or friend?

"Kill Amon? . . . why ask us to do it. Why do you want him dead, anyway?" Ume asked.

"Well," He said, "It all started when a fire bender killed my family. . . and I won't say anything more than that."

He clenched his fists, unbeknownst to the trio. His past. . . was something that he would reveal in due time.

They looked at each other, wondering if they could trust him; wondering if they even had a choice in the matter. Coming to a silent agreement, they nodded at each other, Jetta stepping forward toward him, one last question on her mind.

"Fine, we'll do this for you. But only because I suppose we'll die otherwise. . . and by the way. . . what's your name?"

"My name," he responded, walking out of the room, back toward the original place of their conversation.

"My name is Loki."

. . .

PHEW. OH MY JESUS. This took forever to get done. Sorry for all the time discrepancy, guys, but something was going crazy with my FanFiction account and I couldn't get any of the chapters up. I fixed it, so its all good now! Anywho, This chapter gives us more insight into the world of Ru Li, and introduces her, finally, into Republic City. She's not just the angsty Mary Sue you thought she was! And just what is the motive behind our mysteriously named man, Loki?

Catch the story next time to find out!

Toodles!


	4. Chapter Four: The Death of the Past

_Last time in ILMiRC:_

_Ru Li, our once angsty, turned vengeful, character finally finds herself catching sight of the gleaming Republic City. Having met up with a seemingly random group of Equalists along the way, she finds new information telling her that Amon plans to sacrifice an earth bender- girl for his cause._

_Just what does Amon have in store for this girl?_

_Can Ru Li get to her in time, before it's too late?_

_Meanwhile, it seems like our tag team trio of girls have found an unsuspected ally in Loki, a mysteriously motivated Chi- Blocker who claims to be out for the head of Amon._

_What are his motives?_

_What in his past has driven him to this point?_

_Tune in to this chapter of I Lost Myself in Republic City to find out!_

. . .

_Ru Li_

. . .

I grabbed thirty yuans from the dirty hand in front of my, not wanting to catch some disease or anything. Handing over the reigns, I sadly gave the man Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, the oddly named ostrich- horse. I had developed some strange bond with the beast over the past few weeks, but now I was in the city, and there was no need to have him anymore. The ostrich- horse didn't seem to mind our parting though, and the man presented him with a few food pellets, giving me a curt nod, sending me on my way. I stepped out from the barn like stall, and onto the brownish cobblestones of the street, thankful that with the dusk came less traffic. Stepping lightly, I adjusted the newly bought hat onto my head, and scratched my side, not yet used to the common clothing I had picked up.

_Goodbye, comfortable clothing, hello potato- carrot sack. Oh well, you've got to blend; Earth Kingdom green doesn't exactly scream 'not here to mess up your diabolical plans.'_

I sighed, for what seemed like the millionth time this week, immediately wrinkling my nose at the still unfamiliar scent of the bustling city. I had expected it to be different, but not this strange. I rubbed my hands together, trying to get out some of the chill that was running through my veins. It wasn't cold outside; rather, I was nervous, and the adrenaline just wouldn't quit flowing.

**Ping!**

The light in front of me signaled a green glow, meaning it was safe to cross to the other side of the street. I was heading in the direction of the wharf district, apparently where the Equalists were holding the 'big show.' Walking along this side, the black, brackish water of the bay lapped against the bricks over the edge of the road, wetting the cobblestones beneath my feet. I stuck my hands into my coat, moving a bit faster. Turning my head to the sea, I looked out at the small island, nestled among the waves. It was called the Avatar Aang Memorial Island. The large statue perched upon the small, rocky shore towered into the night, spiraling upward; a green tinged monolith. I looked at the carved face of the hero, the previous Avatar. He had saved the world during the hundred year war, and he was even younger than I, now.

_Yeah, and he could bend earth by then, too._

"Oh, shut up, me. Now is not the time to start thinking about that."

I was right. It wasn't the time to start doubting myself. I had a steady stride going, and a certain goal in mind. I was going to the Equalists gathering for one thing, and one thing only. . .

_Well, two things, now._

Right.

There was apparently an earth bender that Amon had captured, and he was going to make an example out of her tonight. By killing her.

_Just like he did your father._

Dad.

I stopped walking for a moment, suddenly realizing that I hadn't thought about my father in. . . days. All I had been thinking about was blind revenge, and I had lost the thought of why I even wanted it in the first place. I shook my head, shutting my eyes and rubbing them with the palms of my hands. I looked down on them, the hands of a seventeen year old girl. The hands of someone who wanted to kill. I had no reason to feel sorry for myself; I knew what I was doing. Stepping forward again, I set my sights in front of me. Coming up on a row of buildings, I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out the withered flyer, checking the address one last time; though I was sure I could have recited it from memory by now.

_Three- thirty, Three- thirty two, there!_

Three- thirty three. The building loomed over me, smaller than the others around it, yet more menacing, somehow. A small trickle of people filtered in through a small, side door, bathed in the yellow light of a street lamp. A large, pudgy man with an arm cast guarded the door. Gulping, and taking a deep breath, I began to fold up the flyer, then stopped. I didn't need it anymore. Pausing for a moment, I simply looked at it, then. . . let it go, the paper flying away in the wind.

_Goodbye, Dad._

Letting go the last piece of him that I dared to take with me, I strode forward toward the warehouse. Getting in line behind other couples, I pulled my hat down on my face and approached the large bouncer at the door.

"Uhm," I stammered. "Is this the Equalist rally? Excuse me, not rally, gathering? That got cancelled, I know, so—"

"You know something?" The man said, looking down at me, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

_Crapcrapcrap._

He put his hands, fisted, and casted, to his sides, "Last time a girl came up to me wearing a pathetic looking hat in this doorway, she turned out to be the Avatar, broke my arm, and knocked me unconscious. . ."

I laughed nervously.

"Well, I would have brought a prettier hat, but I knew it would complement Amon's. . . outfit? Hehehe?"

_Well done, Ru. Excellent. Now you're not an infiltrating bender but a member of the __**fashion police?**_

I looked at the bouncer, and he looked back at me. I wasn't quite sure what was happening here, but I was sure as heck that I wasn't helping my chances of getting into the place. Shuffling on my feet, I looked over at his shoulder, noticing the bright lights inside of the large room.

"All right, fair enough."

". . . OK? THANK YOU?"

"Trust me, if you were trying to lie to me, you would have picked something much less stupid. Just go on before I think twice about it."

I quickly passed him, hearing him grunt after I left his presence. Making my way inside, I lost my breath at the size of the crowd. Spanning the entire room was a sea of people, men, and women, all here for the same purpose. To see a young girl face some gruesome peril at the hands of a madman. I fell forward a bit, suddenly dizzy at the sight. Clutching the rusted steel bar in front of me, I noticed that I was shaking, quite obviously, and now, it wasn't just the adrenaline seeping into my veins. No, it was something else. My body was on fire, yet I was shivering, still experiencing the same sensation that I had earlier.

_Calm down, Ru. Don't let nerves get the best of you, here. You've come this far. . . and you're not going to back down now._

Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep, silent breath, and then opened them again. I pushed off of the bar, and then made my way down the grated staircase, into the throng of people. Pushing forward, I tried to get as close to the stage as possible, shoving everyone aside, getting more than a few steeled glances and unpleasant words.

_It seems like everyone wants to be front row for the execution._

Finally getting to a point where it was impossible to get any further, I settled in about fifteen feet from the absolute front of the throng. Looking around me, all the members of the crowd were speaking in hushed tones to each other, chatting idly to pass the time, obviously treating the gathering like it was some sort of social event. They made me sick. Every one of these people; I hated them.

**CLICK.**

The soft, overhead lights suddenly turned off, leaving everyone in complete darkness.

_Here we go._

In the back of the stage, a soft glow began to appear, similar to the rising of the sun, early morning. At the same time, shadows began to filter in from my left side, the right of the stage. Travelling in single file, they took up places at the center of the stage. Finally the lights reached a seeable luminosity, and I was staring into the face of my greatest hatred.

Amon.

One Chi- Blocker on each side, he stood in the center of the ring, playing master, hands folded behind his back, just like he had the night my father had been killed. Clenching my hands into fists, I struggled to not leap onto the stage then and there. He paused for a moment, waiting. Slowly rising up from the stage was a microphone and stand. Once all the way up, he grabbed the microphone off its holster with one hand, not wasting any time before getting into his speech.

"My dear brothers and sisters,"

Applause resounded through the room, roaring like a hungry animal, waiting to make the kill.

"My dear brothers and sisters," he repeated. "Tonight, I will not waste your time with cheap tricks and entertainment. Instead, I shall get directly to the point. I assume that every one of you has answered the call that I set forth over the radio earlier this week, and are here to experience the justice that will be served to the young earth bender girl."

Booing and hissing, then.

Amon turned from the audience, strolling in a blithe gait toward the far wall. He stopped.

"Well, that will come in due time. Patience is all I ask." He turned back toward the audience, making his way slowly to the right side of the stage now. "As you are all aware, brothers and sisters, our glorious regime has stopped every attempt of the Republic City Government from coming to fruition. . ." The audience clapped again, curtly. "Tonight, I wish to reveal to you why. . . _girls?_"

Out from the left side of the stage walked three figures, two tall, one rather short. Making their way into the light, I could finally make out who they were.

Three, teenage girls, dressed in the garb of Chi- Blockers, strode out onto stage, waving their arms about in some sort of triumph, almost like they were celebrities. The crowd, upon seeing them, started to cheer, the sheer noise making it impossible to think. They bounded over to Amon, finished with their rigmarole, and stood in single file by his side. Amon walked closer to them, putting his hand on the shoulder of the tallest one, a girl with scraggly, straight hair and a singular braid.

"These three that you see before you are the crowning achievement of the Equalist movement. They have single handedly infiltrated different sectors of the Republic City Government, diverting their efforts, and even converting some officials to the cause."

More applause and cheers. I suddenly felt sick, standing there, and my head pounded with an unbearable intensity. I couldn't believe what was in front of me. Three girls, no older than I, worked for. . . for. . . this worm.

"But don't let me have the entire spotlight, no. Let them tell you what they have done."

Amon stepped to the side, then, handing the microphone to the one of middle height. She looked startled for a moment, looking to the other two with a quick glance, which I found strange. But it was gone as soon as it was there, and she soon took back up her wicked smile.

"My fellow Equalists," she began, stepping forward from her line. "What we have done is no small feat. There is no need for humility, here, for we know the gravity of what we have accomplished. Let me enlighten you." She came to the center of the stage, then. "I, myself, have destroyed the resistance coming from the high council. They have not issued a single order to direct efforts to stopping us since I have intervened. They are useless. She, there, has done work to the Police Force, especially the metal benders." She pointed to the small one, previously in the middle of the group.

_That little girl has ruined the police resistance? But HOW? It looks like she's only fifteen, early sixteen. . . what has Amon done to all of you?_

Despite my better wishes, I was transfixed by the girls' speeches. Something inside of me was holding me to the spot, rooting me there, and I couldn't move. Sweat dripped down my brow, and I was high off of the adrenaline still coursing through my body. My eyes darted back and forth from face to face, Amon, Chi- Blocker, the girls, Amon, Ch—

A man suddenly stepped in front of me, bumping lightly into me, blocking my vision of the stage. Startled, I blinked, finding it easy to move my body again. But now I couldn't see what was happening. Frustrated, I reached out to tap the guy's shoulder.

"Hey, do you min—"

His hand reached over his shoulder, quick as lightning, and grabbed my own. My eyes flew open in surprise. Slowly, he turned his face toward me, just barely visible in the lackluster light emanating from the stage. But, that was all the light that I needed. I found myself looking at the face of a tanned boy, a bit older than myself. His one eye, a chilling, green ice, that I could see, reflected the light in an unsettling corona. Turning fully toward me, and stepping forward, he also began to lace his fingers through my own. I stepped back, trying to pull my hand from his, spouting babbling nonsense, not sure of what to do. Continuing his advance, his free hand suddenly found itself around the small of my back, pulling me toward him in a strange embrace. Frightened, and confused, and feeling somehow . . . at ease? . . . I didn't move. He spoke to me then, still in my stunned stupor. Putting his head to the side of mine, he warned me.

"Just try not to die, all right?"

He laughed, quick and mellow, and then he was gone, quick as he had come. I blinked, recalling my ability to even, and shook my head.

_Who WAS that?_

My thoughts were drowned out by an onslaught of cheers and hollering. I looked back to the stage, reforming my attitude and thoughts. Up on the platform, the three girls had reclaimed their previous spots, lined up once more with their arms tucked behind their backs, the perfect example of the subservient Equalist. Amon had the microphone, once again, and took his place, center ring.

"Now you see the impact that we have, my friends. You see our power. Who could want to resist us, want to ruin this campaign. . . want to kill off our efforts?" Amon shook his head, coming to the very edge of the stage.

"As you all know, days ago, I had informed you of the capture of a young earth bender girl, and promised that she would be dealt justice." The crowd erupted in more cheers, ripe with anticipation. "Well, I inform you now, dear revolutionaries. . ."

"That she is _dead._"

Absolute silence. An eerie feeling crept through the audience. I listened to the whispers around me: she's dead? I thought he was going to present her tonight? What about the announcement? They were all questions I had asked myself. Something, and I didn't know what, did not feel right.

Not at all.

"Don't fret good people. The girl that I spoke of on the airwaves was nothing. I would not make an example out of someone so pathetic. No, I enjoy taking the self- righteous and making _them _into martyrs."

_What is he talking about, this whole thing was about that girl! What is he up to?_

"Do you remember, good people, when I killed the earth bender in Ja Bein Se, three weeks prior to tonight?"

I froze. Shaking racked through my body.

"I knew who he was, of course, but the other Equalists at the rally did not. They only saw him as the face of the opposition, and that was good enough for then. But, though the father was the target then, a different earth bender is the target now."

No.

Spot lights flared on overhead from somewhere in the rafters, all shining directly upon myself. Bathed in a blood red glow, the people around me flew back, leaving only myself in the crimson wash. Suddenly, it was me, and Amon, staring at each other; one in awe, one in sick triumph.

"His daughter is there in front of me." He pointed a finger at me. "And she intends to kill us all, tonight. She has travelled for weeks, just to come here tonight, and she plans to bring the entire building down above and beneath us, crushing us, maiming us, _killing all of us_."

People began to stir around me, some trying to rush toward the exit in the back, yet some donned an evil glare, angered by my motive. Even the three girls onstage had their eyebrows raised, shocked by Amon's words.

And then, Amon jumped down from the stage, and walked toward me. One foot in front of the other, he advanced toward me. I couldn't move. The strength that he simply emanated was enough to crush every hope that I had of escape. I was going to die. Amon grabbed my chin, bringing my terrified expression close to his clay mask. He spoke, and I imagined feeling his hot breath burning me.

"You, you stupid girl, are my martyr tonight. I will take your bending away, I will humiliate you, and then I will kill you, just like your pathetic father fell under my ha-''

**CRAAAACK!~ **

Amon flew up in the air, catapulted back onto the stage by a large, brown chunk of earth. Around me, people began to scream, running out of the building in fits of terror. In front of me, a rectangular section of the floor jutted upward in a craggy mess, obviously made by a. . . bender?

_. . . Did I do that?_

I looked around the rock in front of me, and back onto the stage where I saw. . . I saw. . .

I saw the three girls all attacking Amon and his Chi- Blockers, earth bending style.

They attacked them in force, two focusing on Amon's henchmen, one going after him himself. They made short work of most of the Chi- Blockers, displaying that they had proficient skill in their craft. Dipping, dodging, diving, they all eventually cut down everyone until only Amon was left on the stage with them. The leader yelled.

"Surprised, you MONSTER?"

"What is the meaning of this? LOKI!"

Amon looked around, looking for whomever. No one came. The girls on the stage laughed together, smirking, knowing that they had Amon cornered.

"He's not coming, by the looks of it, Amon. Too ba—''

Suddenly, smoke exploded on the stage, blurring all visions of what was taking place. I staggered back, stunned and coughing, out of the protection of the boulder that had been in front of me. I couldn't clearly see what had happened, but I could make out shadows. Where Amon had been, there were suddenly two men, one grabbing the other and disappearing out of the left of the stage, quickly, and silently. The three girls all coughed and hacked, unable to see what was happening. After a few moments, the smoke cleared, leaving them onstage. . . and with Amon gone. The girl that seemed to be the leader of the group staggered forward, looking around with a rapid circular movement, and an angered expression on her face. The others did the same shortly after, coming to their senses. Realizing that they had lost Amon, the leader made an angered noise, kicking at the ground. Fists clenched in anger, the other girls tried to speak to her, but she wouldn't hear it, and ignored them, continuing to feed her aggression. I watched them, but they didn't seem to notice me.

Unfortunate occurrence number one.

Without warning, the middle girl reached her hands out, and the ground near the stage started to shake. An extremely large chunk of rock wrenched itself from the ground, suspended in mid air. With a loud grunt, the girl threw the rock, releasing all of her pent up anger and frustration in a blind throw. Let me emphasize, blind. Suddenly, I found myself staring at a brown tinged boulder. Heading straight toward me.

Unfortunate occurrence number three.

And I was angry. My blood boiled, uncontrolled by some determined rage. I had come this far, only to be thwarted by Amon. I had come this far, only to have stood there like a coward, not able to do anything but cower in the shadow of what couldn't even be called a man. I had come this far, and I was going to be felled by a rock. I furrowed my brows in anger, fire lighting my eyes.

_This is not good! Come on Ru, you've got to bend it out of the way!_

It was travelling too fast toward me; I had no other choice. In what seemed like slow motion, I brought my hands up, stretching the fingers out into the position I had practiced for years. My legs slowly came apart, steadying myself in a solid stance. Time ticked by in what seemed like hours for seconds. I took a deep breath. I moved my right arm back. I shifted forward toward the rock, hurtling toward me and. . .

I was warm.

I was dead, I knew it.

Unfortunate occurrence number three: stoned to death.

Everything around me seemed to stop, then. My eyes were clenched closed, waiting to feel the crushing blow that the rock had delivered, but all I could fell was a warm glow in front of me, caressing my face.

Sunlight?

I guessed that I was in the spirit world then.

_Well, at least the afterlife has nice weather, eh Ru?_

I opened my eyes, expecting to see a serene sun, the quiet, ghostlike atmosphere of the netherworlds, the gentle, peace bringing breeze of my death. . .

And felt the bone jarring gust of wind that tunneled past me on both sides, and saw two extremely large, sizzling chunks of rock fly just barely past my face, nicking my right cheek.

Oh, and did I mention that there was a forty foot wall of bright orange flame barreling toward the stage?

Surprised, I yelled, and the other girls yelled with me. Seeing that the flame was heading toward the girl that had thrown the rock, I pulled my hands left, sending the fiery wall careening left. I didn't know where the motivation to do so came from, because I was still confused.

_How. . . how did I? HOW DID I DO THAT?_

Dizziness crept over me then, and I began to swoon, overcome by the unexpected experience.

And I fell.

My vision was clouding, but as I fell, I noticed something; a young man, standing in the shadows, arms crossed, smiling.

And that was the last thing that I saw that night.

. . .

Noises.

No, voices.

Head pounding, I began to come to, hearing the high pitched voices of girls above me. Utterly confused, I sat up, barely feeling the subtle caresses of the three patting my back and checking to see if I was all right. I glanced around quickly, noticing that I was in a bedroom loft, sitting comfortably in a cot with black sheets.

And then I noticed my hands.

I lifted them to my face, staring at them, still shaking from what they had done. I didn't know it then, but that night, something changed in me. Something. . . sparked.

Awestruck, I turned them over, revealing the palms, scorched and seared to the bottom layer of skin, chafed from the fire that they had yet to tame.

. . .

Well there you go guys, chapter four, finite!

DID YOU LOVE IT?  
It's my favorite so far.

So what exactly will happen next? Well none of you know, as all I have revealed up to this point was previously known. From now on, everything is new, and a surprise.

I can't wait to do this thing, this has been amazing, guys.

I promise that there'll be more perspectives the next chapters, I just really felt connected in writing in first person at the moment. BUT I PROMISE I WILL GIVE KILI, UME, AND JETTA MORE LOVE.

Speaking of love, Loki, mmmmmhmmmmm.

That boi.

HA! Anyway, you're all spoiled for two consecutive chapters, so don't expect another one for a good week.

I promise that it'll be worth the wait.

With Amon gone for now, there will be more focus on the lives of the characters, not just LEAF and Equalist business.

Soon we will reveal the core drama of this charade.

Until next, toodles!


	5. Chapter Five: The Way to a Man's Heart

_Last time in ILMiRC:_

_Just when our misguided girl, Ru Li thought that she had Amon in her sights, her whole mission lost its target when a triple thread triad of BAMFY earthbender babes stole the show! Beating Amon into what could have possibly resembled pulp, they gained a short victory, but were disheartened when their enemy managed to slip away._

_With no sign of Amon now, is Republic City finally getting a long earned break from the onslaught of revolution? Or is there something bigger in store?_

_And finally, even more mysterious than the boy Loki, is the firebending capabilities bestowed upon Ru._

_Where did they come from?_

_What do they mean?_

_And just how did Loki know things would go so smoothly; according to. . . plan?_

_Tune into this week's episode of ILMiRC to find out!_

. . .

The Noodle Shop

. . .

Three girls, all dressed in natural hues of green, huddled around a long worn wooden table. Heads together in thought, they worked to make sense of what happened to them, and their new firebending guest.

"I still think that she can't be trusted" exclaimed Ume, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation.

Kili looked toward her, raising her hands, promoting peace. "I know that the situation is weird. . . honestly this whole week has been the strangest. . . whatever. . . the thing that I see, is that she was at that rally to stop Amon. You could see it in her eyes. It wasn't. . . hatred. . . it was revenge."

"Revenge for what, do you think?" asked Jetta. "Apparently she's all the way from the border cities. That's a long way to go for some small vendetta."

"Huh." Kili breathed.

_Creak_

The girls looked over to the cot that their guest was on. Managing to rustle herself out from under the swath of clean covers, the girls tousled hair poked up over her pillow.

"Shh, not a word until we get this sorted out," Kili whispered as she pushed her chair back, walking over to the bed. She crouched down, grabbing a fresh towel from a white, porcelain basin of cool water.

"Hu-uh. My head is pounding," Ru Li managed to grate out, her voice too sounding like it was scorched in her fire's heat.

Kili grabbed her hands, which had been working around the covers, aiming to fiddle with something in the strange place around her. "Yeah, and you'll completely forget about that if I don't keep these hands of yours cooled off. Nasty burns you've got there, girl."

Ru Li smirked. "Better that than a forty ton chunk of rock protruding from a gaping head wound."

"Oh, now you're just complaining!" Kili laughed, good naturedly.

Realizing that she'd better just set her curiosity to the side for the moment, Ru Li placed her head back onto the pillow with a small, breathy snort. She turned her head, then, toward the window on her left, staring out of the many- paned clear glass port. Light was dappling into the room, caressing Ru Li's face. Out the way, Ru could see the mid morning bustle of Republic City; sellers, tellers, businessmen walking through the thoroughfare onto their posh skyscrapers they worked in. . . A boy, the girl's age, walking down the street, attempting to balance an unnaturally large quantity of groceries. . . life seemed. . . normal for those people down there.

_But not for this group. Not for one second. Not for me._

Ru Li closed her eyes, moving her head back onto its proper placement. Feeling Kili move the soft cloth over her still callousing hands was soothing. She hadn't felt at peace in months.

"Kili, can I ask you something?" inquired Ru Li.

She stopped and lay the cloth back in the basin, flicking the water off of her hands in two short bursts.

"Well I suppose that you can, since you've been such a cooperative patient this morning."

Ru Li rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. . . But. . . That night. Why were you three attacking Amon? Better yet. . ." she closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, "_**I **_was supposed to. . . to-"

"You wanted to take down Amon. You wanted to get revenge for your fathers untimely death, and prove to the Equalists that they couldn't just throw away someone's life like that, bender, or non."

Ume strode toward the bed, crouching down on her knees, and placing her head along the side of the bed. She looked at Ru Li in such a serious way, that it demanded all attention.

"How- . . . how did you know that's why I was there?"

Jetta answered now. "Loki."

". . . Am I supposed to know who that is?" Ru Li rebuttled.

Jetta pushed out the wooden chair beneath her, failing to push it in, getting a strange glance from Kili. She walked over to the window next to the bed, hands in her pockets, looking out onto the street below.

"He's someone that works for Amon. Closely. He knew all of his secrets, and well, all of ours too." Jetta looked at Ru Li, then. "He offered us a chance to get a jab at Amon, and we blew it. He knew you were coming that night too. Something about intercepting a message from some Equalist nutcase, or whatever. But apparently he had expected you to come all along. He played all of us. But you didn't meet him. Heh. What a cheeky kid. Said that our only condition in getting our shot was 'not to die'."

Ru Li furrowed her brows, some memory suddenly peaking her interest.

"_Just don't die, all right?"_

_Could it. . . could that guy have been the same person?_

She thought of the mysterious boy. . . his scraggly deep russet hair, and his eyes; glistening, serious, yet concerned under the shoddy light of the warehouse. She could still feel his touch.

_I . . . would really rather not have THAT headache at the moment._

Ru Li responded after a moment of thought, "Never saw him."

"Well that figures. You were in the crowd for a long time before everyone finally cleared out of there. There was no way you would have had any motivation to notice him anyway." Kili said, finally finishing her care, a new set of cloth swaddling her still recovering hands.

_But then. . . why won't he get out of my head?_

_. . ._

Kili

. . .

Later that day, Kili had taken up her usual post at the front of the noodle shop, dishing out deliciously delightful meals to her hungry patrons. She moved back and forth, balancing the rush at the front of the building and the cooking food in the back with ease. It helped that she could tell when they were moving around. While she couldn't exactly feel vibrations in the ground, like the famous Lin Bei Fong, she could feel the shift in the ground itself. It was almost like she was standing on one end of a mattress, and someone was on the other, bending the object slightly with their weight. Kili could feel these shifts, kind of like she was gravitationally inclined toward them.

Looking out of the shop front later that afternoon, toward closing, she bent over the front of the stand, twiddling her thumbs. It had been a good thirty minutes since her last patron, and she didn't want to waste a whole pot of noodles, considering that she had just thrown another batch on. Looking back at the simmering food, she sighed.

Coming to grips with the fact that she just lost 35 yuan in that batch, she began to put everything away and clean. Having scrubbed down the stove, she grabbed the pot, getting ready to toss it into the waste basin, when she was startled by the shop bell. Jumping, and spilling just a bit of broth, she quickly set the pot back down.

"One second, please!" She shouted toward the front, moving swiftly, and wiping her hands on a worn cloth.

Slinging the once white rag over her shoulder, she stepped out into the front, seeing a young man facing toward the square, looking at the sunset as she had been earlier. His legs were crossed in front of him, and one tanned elbow perched itself upon the edge of the tall counter.

"You caught me at just the right time, I was about to toss the last p-aaaaa-," Kili stopped herself midsentence. Hearing her coming up behind him, the man turned around, the golden rays of the sun catching the chiseled features of his profile. He had a strong jaw, with ink black hair, short on his head. His eyes, golden, were searing with mystery. "Uh, I mean, hot. POT. I MEAN POT. AHA. HA."

She rubbed the back of her head, cheeks rosy and obviously showing her embarrassment. The patron stared at her, unmoving.

". . . Uh. . . Is this a bad time?" His voice was deep, quiet, and yet demanding of all her conscious attention. It was like warm honey.

"NO! No, uh, in fact, you're the last customer today, special! JUST FOR YOU! ILL BE BACK!"

She ran, disappearing behind a flap of curtain, leaving the boy sitting speechless on his stool. She staggered back in seemingly no time at all, rushing toward him, sloshing soup over the lip of the bowl. With a clunk and a splash, a porcelain bowl was set in front of him. He looked at it for a second, and then smelled the sweet, yet salty aroma of the broth. Taking up a spoon, he started to slurp it down.

_Well. That went well._

"How is it?" She asked him, eagerly.

He didn't respond, taking the bowl up into his hands, and gulping it down, letting gravity do all the work.

A single clear drop of liquid escaped from his lips, trickling down his lips, and then down his tanned chin, coming to rest on his neck before he set the bowl down and then wiped it off with the back of his sinewy hand.

"I'm in trouble," she whispered under her breath.

"That was. Delicious." He gave her a quick smile, fleeting, but there. Moving his chair back, he got up, and grabbed 5 yuan out of his pocket, placing it on the counter, more than the price of what he had ate. After doing so, he did something odd, simply standing, unmoving, at the front of the shop, confusing Kili.

Thinking that he wanted to order something to go, or the likes, Kili grabbed his bowl and returned to the back of the shop once again. Taking a short time to rinse out the bowl and get another ladle of broth into it, she then returned to the shops front, only to see that the boy had vanished, leaving the money on the counter. Seriously bewildered by the events that had taken place, she took a moment to walk onto the street, looking to see if the boy was still there. While mildly concerned for turning a profit for the to- go meal, she had. . . another motive in mind. Unfortunately, she could not find him.

_Welp. That was the singularly most shortest romance that has ever been conceived in the history of EVER._

Sighing, and realizing that she would probably never see her mysterious man again, she returned to where he had been sitting, and set the bowl down, taking the money back to her hidden satchel, full of the weeks profit. Depositing the 5 yuan note into the cloth bag, and taking a moment to quickly count its contents, she gave up for the day, tossing the rest of the pot, and turning off the lights, rushing up the stairs, confused and dreaming about a golden tanned boy.

. . . who had been in the flower shop two doors down, trying to pick out the perfect floral arrangement for the most beautiful, and culinary talented, girl he had ever seen. After a good twenty minutes, he had emerged with a single flower; a yellow lily- rose. He had nervously debated whether to ask her to accompany him to the next Fire Ferret tournament match, seeing as his friend was a janitor and scored free tickets, and, unfortunately, worked up the courage just as the door to the overhead loft had clicked shut for the night.

Standing in front of the shop, quite exasperated at the failure of his love life, he decided to just leave that flower there, knowing that it would probably just be picked up by some random street kid that thought it was pretty. Moving toward where he had met the girl not too long ago, he noticed something, though. A single bowl of her noodles rested in front of his stool, still hot, and carefully wrapped inside of a gold and red cloth. He blinked once, and then cracked the biggest smile that he had, realizing that she had left him a surprise, as well. Gently laying the rose down in its place, he took the soup, cupping it in his right, keeping it warm all the way home with some firebending steam, thinking that maybe. . . just maybe. . .

He had found his new favorite place in all of Republic City.

. . .

Hey guys!

It's. . . it's been awhile. Anyway! There are going to be some shorter chapters that, as you could probably guess, introduce some new characters onto the scene. In this one, we introduced a new man, one that just may be the perfect match for Kili? Well obviously, cause that's just too obvious.

Stay tuned to see just who, and what, happens to our lovely ladies!


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